Advice
225 creative works found
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Selling Greeting Cards Through Stores
by Jo O'BrienRecently the topic of selling greeting cards out in the real world has come up in the forums...
Recently the topic of selling greeting cards out in the real world has come up in the forums Having sold greeting cards before through shops and at markets, my humble opinion and experience may be of interest. I’ve got a lot to say on this one so I’ll use headings :) / mren’s ‘somewhere in fitzroy’ Be a Business- Not Just an Artist / What I mean by this is consider yourself a business supplier and demonstrate a level of professionality. Yes it is great if you promote the artistic merits of your work but greeting cards are a very common product and so being organised with an ABN, professional looking invoices, online ordering facilities, fast turn around etc will put you ahead of the (always growing) pack. Like all good businesses, know your strengths and show them off. Provide Good Quality Products / It might sound obvious (I hope it does) but when people are starting out in business they tend to cut corners. In the greeting card business quality is a big deal. This is where RedBubble becomes a huge advantage because the quality of the card printing is so exceptional. Packaging is Important / Have you considered what your cards will look like after 20 or so customers have handled them? Some people like the ‘no plastic’ look and who am I to tell them otherwise. I always individually wrap my cards and make sure that if the packaging prevents the card being openned, that “Blank Card” is printed either on the individual packaging or nearby signage. If you put together gift packs, wrap them beautifully and make sure people know what images they are getting in the pack. / My little tip: leave one copy of each card unwrapped on display and when you check up with the store, see which ones are the grubbiest to identify the favourites Displaying your wares / The things people want to see are the images, the quality and the price. Where possible I use clear perspex stands that do not cover the front of the card. By leaving a few sample cards out of their packaging people can pick them up and feel them to check the quality. I also make sure each card has a visible price on it, on the back, on a removable sticker. Some hints would be not to have too many of a particular card out on display at once. Keep a box of ‘top up’ cards out of sight. If you have a series that belongs together, display them together and perhaps highlight them with different packaging or a small separate display rack. Cards should be displayed with the image facing the right way up where possible. Always put your name and contact details on your card stands- so often they ‘magically disappear.’ And if you are providing your own stands, try to ‘claim’ the space so that other people’s cards don’t get put in over the top of yours. This can be hard to police but for example, having “Cards by Artist ABC” on your stand makes it harder for the retailer to stick any old stuff in there. / ‘legs’ by itsactustus Get Your Pricing Right / Like all things business, a lot of small shops will heckle with you over money and prices. My advice to you? Know what price you want and stick to it. Think about it in perspective, in a typical shop, greeting cards will be close to the cheapest item in there. If the business can’t fork out $30 to try 10 cards then you don’t want to be doing business with them! But also think realistically about your prices. Most retailers will start saying ‘no thanks’ at about $3 a card so to make RedBubble cards (with a base price of up to $3) a financailly viable option you need to sell them as premium art cards worth that extra dollar or two. Considering the quality of them, I believe this is possible. Depending on where you sell them, you could get $4 to $8 or even more per card. It will depend on the clientelle for that particular store. / Common Mistake: Too many people give their cards different prices when in the eye of the customer they all look pretty much the same. If you want to have a premium range, make it obvious Profite Margins / I should add as a separate but related point, most stores will want to mark up by about 100% on greeting cards. Most people sell there cards for a set wholesale price and then let the store charge whatever they like. The only time in my opinion, you should intervene is if you seriously believe they have overpriced them to such a point that nthey are not affordable. But think about it before setting your price. If you ask for $4 per card, can the store onsell them for $7.95? How to actually get them into stores / Here’s an idea for you- send them a card! Of course a rigorous follow up would be required. I would ‘door to door’ with a small sample or my stuff and it worked really well. I also had a bit of a tactic. I’d show a selection of cards worth $20 total. Then when they fell in love with a couple I’d say. “How about you buy this $20 worth from me right now and you keep that one you like for yourself, I’ll replace it with this one” Then I’d pull some other random card out of my bag and add it to the pile. Worked 9 out of 10 times. The other thing I did was band together with a fellow card maker (she did printed ones, I did handmade) so that we could show a greater range and cut our door knocking time in half. Can I also suggest not interrupting businesses during busy periods such as weekends or lunch hours. That happens to me in the gallery all the time and it’s a real pain. Also, if you’re talking to staff and their phone rings or a customer comes in, invite them to deal with the more important thing first and come back to you. Rotate Your Stock / Basically, if it isn’t selling, get rid of it yourself before the store owner decides to get rid of you! I’m exaggerating but the point it still valid. People will stop looking if your display always looks the same so keep it chaging. Make a fuss. If you have a new range, stick a sign up saying “New Farm Yard Range On Sale Now.” And remember, what works well in one store may go really badly in another so if it’s not selling, try somewhere else rather then giving up and throwing the lot in the bin! Consignment / This is particularly just my opinion but I’m against consignment on cards. Especially if you give a choice of what is ordered. Seriously, cards cost so little compared to other things, if a store can’t find $50 somewhere to buy some outright, there is something suss about that right away. It might be good to offer consignment on your first batch which will encourage the store to stock your stuff but don’t get into a habit of it. I would drop off say 50 cards and get someone to sign a consignment form saying how many they were given. Then after a few weeks I would go back, count them up and invoice for however many were missing. Then I’d also give them the choice of buying the remaining ones, or me taking them back. Most would swap a few that they didn’t like and then buy up. Payments / Again I hope this sounds obvious but ask to be paid. So many people get lost in a world of politeness and assume that eventually someone will do the right thing, Most small businesses using MYOB or QuickBooks accounting software will automatically lodge your invoices to be paid within 30 days. Agree on your terms and then chase up late payments. No need to be mean or nasty but a follow up letter and then a follow up phone call is fair enough. Also, be flexible in how you can be paid. Some businesses do everything with a cheque (or for you Americans, a “check”), others will rely on Direct Debit. So know how the business wants to pay you and don’t make it hard for them! Promote your Cards / The beauty of RedBubble cards is they have the URL of your portfolio on the back which shows off all of your work. But also remember to promote your cards out in the real world. Recently I bought a bunch of RedBubble cards and gave them all to friends. The response was amazing. They all got online to find more! Next step for me is to buy a bunch of my own cards and find excuses to give them to people. webgrrl had this awesome idea too. The cards really do speak for themselves so get them into circulation. - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - – - So if anyone is still breathing after reading all that, I hope you found it useful! / I do tend to ramble when it comes to retail related things- it’s my passion in life. / ‘Tashom III’ by FireRabbit
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To better VIEW this work please select VIEW LARGER option / .... To AD ME to your WATCHLIST click BAMBI Icon. / “LOVE is ROSE” / This rose can be just simple VALENTINE CARD / The artwork on the right is made by no mean of any plugs or any shape of program ….it was made FREE HAND design from a scratch..it took 2 hours to do the twist…Hope u appreciated the work.. / My Other ROSES work / “VELVET ROSE” / / / “Say it with a Rose” / / / VISIT my other WORK that might please your eye by clicking on any icon / / / / / / WORK in this GALERY is COPYRIGHTED and solo owned by artist….DO NOT COPY …not for personal or comercial use……Any reproduction, modification, publication, transmission, transfer, or exploitation of any of the Content, whether in whole or in part, without express written permission is prohibited. All rights reserved !!! / BUYERS if interested my work is available in 6,10 and 12 megapixels high resolution…..Make a request through REDBUBBLE it is available for immediate delivery after payment is received…. WARNING / ©2008 aphoto4you Photography. All rights reserved. All photographs, images, and text by Aphoto4you Photography is the exclusive property of Aphoto4you Photography and is protected under United States and international copyright laws. The images may not be reproduced, copied, stored, or manipulated without the written permission of Aphoto4you Photography. No images are within Public Domain. Use of any image as the basis for another photographic concept or illustration is a violation of copyright. WARNING: We vigorously protect our copyright interests. In the event that an infringement is discovered you will be notified and invoiced the industry-standard TRIPLE FEE for unauthorized usage and/or prosecuted for Copyright Infringement in U.S. Federal Court where you will also be subject to statutory damages of $200,000 USD per infringement, as well as our court costs and attorneys’ fees.
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Chinese & Amsterdam Storeys
by Maxwell Edward“Good afternoon Gentlemen. Our delicious Chinese restaurant serves some of the greatest Chinese delicacies. Can I take your orders?” J…
“Good afternoon Gentlemen. Our delicious Chinese restaurant serves some of the greatest Chinese delicacies. Can I take your orders?” Jermaine takes charge as usual. “I imagine you can sir. Well my friend will have special fried rice and I will have special sweet n sour chicken. Could you make sure it’s especially sweet n sour though? Thanks sir.” People love to eat Chinese. More often the meals though…for the appetisers may prove too fattening over time. Neville and Jermaine have definitely had their share of fattening up over time. Neville is said to eat more Chinese than most Chinese and as for Jermaine, he probably eats more of most things than most people. “Jerry, don’t you think it’s strange how he mentioned they serve some of the greatest Chinese delicacies?” Jermaine who finds nothing short of highly unusual strange, makes a joke from anything less of great importance. “_Why_? What did you expect in a Chinese Restaurant, Indian food?” Neville who hears these jokes more often than not (but still not in appreciation of them) seems to always be misunderstood. “No, I mean, we’re not Chinese. I can’t see anyone in here that is Chinese…In fact I would say that the only Chinese this restaurant ever sees is on the plates. So, they could get away with telling us that this restaurant actually serves the greatest Chinese delicacies. Why would they not?” Jermaine’s opinion always went back to philosophy. “Some wise advice I have for you Nev. Never question the Chinese.” Something about the way the duo talked, it was utter enjoyment. The puns continuously employed emphasised it. A certain kind of pleasure whenever they accompanied one another was unleashed. “Oh Jerry, you got to hear about what happened to my cousin. _You’ll never believe it_…So Ben was in Amsterdam for some time, on holiday or something. Well on the last week he jumped off the top of a three-storey apartment balcony.” Jermaine who believes most things reasonable, but also hesitates in jumping to conclusions always feels obliged to question the situation. “Why the hell would anyone do something like that?” Neville started blushing. He was never as outgoing as Jermaine, even being questioned made him feel slightly insecure. “Well Jerry, you know my cousin Benjamin. No one questions him.” A certain kind of tension was building somewhere between Nevilles growing timidity and Jermaine’s pursuing nerves. “I think anyone thinking about jumping off the third storey of an apartment should be prepared to answer a lot of questions.” There was an uncomfortable short-lived silence between the duos. Neville thought of it as his responsibility to protect his cousin’s reputation, yet his loyalty had previously shown to lead to misdemeanours. Neville decided to break his loyalty for what his reason was telling him was sensibility. “Yeah Jermaine, agreed. Benjamin sure must be a moron hey. Oh, which reminds me, did I tell you he is going to become a lawyer?” The Chinese waiter had brought back the dishes. This is possibly the fastest time a waiter had brought out dishes (which were supposed to be quality cuisines). Then again, Jermaine and his friends always had their doubts about Chinese restaurants. Over their many meals they had discussed many things ranging from the health issues to the political and economic consequences of the different restaurant franchises. The Chinese waiter did not talk this time. He had a chilling frown cast upon his face. Perhaps he had heard their talking? Perhaps it was just the all-round atmosphere of working in such a demanding service. Jermaine and Neville dug into their meals, each choosing their pick of chop sticks and spoon respectively although ironically not in quite a disorderly manner. It was only lucky that Neville chose a spoon for the fried rice to prevent any more mess (if more mess were possible). “So Nev, back to the story; now that you tell me Mr. Benjamin wants to be a lawyer…that makes much more sense; their all lying bastards. This is one big story to you in order to gain your sympathy or something. It can’t really be explained, except that he is behind it all…” “Not true. I saw his bandages and cuts and sores; everything. That can’t really be faked.” “I’m sure for a lawyer, anything can be faked. Any kind of falsehood can be created and unleashed by those guys!” “No seriously. Okay here’s the story, he said he went to a party. He got pretty drunk knowing it was his last week. Who knows maybe he even did…goddamn man it’s Amsterdam! I don’t have to mention the possibilities, their limitless! Anything could have happened. Well anyway, he woke up and that is when the nurse told him what had been reported to her.” “You know what this sounds like? Chinese whispers. She said this; he said that, you say this…” Sceptical Jermaine could never let any possibility go. “Okay whatever, whatever.” Neville had enough. This sort-of-debate had turned into a sort-of-argument. It was time for him to try and change the mannerism of things “Hey Jerry, this kind of talking is probably not good for eating, let’s just eat okay. I mean just the other day I saw the scars and bleeding…well you know.” Eating continued. Polite (enough) slurping of Chinese tea and rice among other things died down the sound of thought. Than Jermaine continued speaking, but not where they left off. “Hey Nev, I’ll be back in a minute. Just have to convenience myself!” Neville sat there. Five minutes boring his intellect- no one to talk to! Jermaine returned. Back to his meal; back to messy eating and the hope of more polite interesting talk. Before Neville had seen it, Jermaine had finished the rest of his special sweet n sour. “Hey Neville, are you still feeling hungry at all?” Before Neville had a chance to reply Jermaine had beckoned the waiter over and ordered “Special Chinese fortune cookies”. The cookies came in no time at all again. It made it seem like there was surely something efficiently magical about this restaurant. “Hey Nev, can you tell me about this story a bit more. So would you get this, I actually heard about a story similar to his; actually two stories, exactly like his…they both sort of were like these crazy stories where these things happened to guys in…well Chinese restaurants actually!” Neville was only half listening, except the information was still unconsciously processing into his mind. He opened his fortune cookie. “No I do not believe it! Coincidences of such do not occur! Madness unleashed!” Neville started shaking intensely, trembling, his usual steady figure rumbling in what looked like fear; his skin pale and pupils dilating and goose bumps on his skin forming. Than he shoved his hands over his head and continued his fearful actions half-hidden by the table. Jermaine grabbed the little slice of Chinese paper, it must be not so fortunate whatever the fortune be he thought! “You will suffer falling three-storeys tonight. Do not question the Chinese” They both sat there; Jermaine seemingly doing and thinking nothing except watching the actions of Neville. Neville with his behaviour turning more and more intense and shocking as seconds progressed and turned into minutes. “Neville!” Neville took no notice, for a moment, to only a moment later reply, “What? Don’t you fucking get this? Can’t you see what’s happening?” Jermaine looked at his watch. Five minutes. Long enough…longer would be dangerous perhaps. “My good friend Neville. I have a confession. I put that note in your cracker…it’s to teach you a lesson really. But it’s also quite a cracker now too to think of it! You should have seen the look on your face! And my friend, I’ll tell you the moral of the story…Question anything with suspicion, even the Chinese, otherwise who knows what will be unleashed!”
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André’s creation: eclectic pleasures
by Maxwell EdwardBlack and white keys, saxophone, guitar, everywhere. The music has much more magnificence than can be tried to be explained through words…
Black and white keys, saxophone, guitar, everywhere. The music has much more magnificence than can be tried to be explained through words. This jazzy rendezvous has always been André’s favourite ear-food. He just loves the way its beauty, splendour, radiance is ‘unleashed’. André stares at the canvas for over a dozen times. Here he is staring at the blank space which is future marvel…or was it to be past marvel? Had he missed his chance, missed the boat which would have sailed to sentimental stardom? He refuses to collaborate more than a sentence for any one idea. Any idea that deserves a sentence must deserve no doubt. Any canvas is only worth the greatest ideas. Two André’s exist; though only one at any one time. The withdrawn analytical front, designed for most occasions. On rare occasions the other character may appear, the intensive, massively determined André who acts on impulses. Impulsive André must be begged out. A Pandora’s Box of surprises, his job will at least never cease to astonish. “Dearest André, Through years have you befriended my son Louis, so therefore I am offering an opportunity to benefit both of our interests (with intent towards your gain). Litton inc., my company has stepped up towards mainstream success. We require visual arts for our newly bought edifice. I understand you have been painting for the eight years since high school. To your discretion I would like to require a painting; just one will suffice. I would like something vibrant and colourful, yet deep and meaningful; Contemporise to your own vision. Much thanks, Dr. Raymond Fonck.” The commissioned paper lies stuck on the wall. André has read it. Now it is time for the future. It has been too long sitting around (or rather bouncing around); too get too much productivity from anything. Someone once said to him that anything is good experience. True perhaps, although he prefers productivity, especially in a time of intensity such as this; three days left until confrontation. His vigilant eyes stroll around the room, searching for advice. He is not bored, nor has he painters block, for such a term does not exist and will not ever for him. His eyes strike the clock. The clock glares 5:48 pm back. What a disgusting fierce look it has. Not 5:45, nor 6:00 and only one uncomfortable minute in-between. For at this time these uncomforting three digits add to the frustration in the actual time. “Aw!” André suddenly realizes the importance of the time. It is the one factor which never seems to be on his side but actually encourages his total progress. It is an epiphany like that of a mother to the newborn. André decides to let his hands take / control. They are the secret key, (sometimes the gatekeepers of unleashing impulsive André) His dominant left one picks up the brush (over time it has made up for its fault of statistically losing him seven years). His right hand decides to lose cognition. It dips itself into a little puddle of Sangria oil paint muck. Than it flies onto the near-centre of the canvas, smeared diagonally. His left hand takes initiative once again, waving lines of smudge to and fro. Right hand brings more paint to its destination. Myrtle, Indigo, Olive, Magnolia…and no, not that…Yes, yes, even black! (Well seal brown to be precise). All of these contextually beautiful colours unleashed! There are no thoughts in André’s mind now. This is impulsive André now; organised thought is of little importance! That colour is important here. This colour is unimportant there. A few lines of any colour are important right here or there, but perhaps a darker colour is better. More negative space up and down the edges. Shape is forming. Lines are bolding. Complete non-representational form is diminishing. Visualizations; the visualized images in mind are being…unloaded bit by bit. It is coming about. What is it though? No one knows. If anybody could guess it definitely would not be André. André knows he has the power to bring out the reality in it though. In a seemingly paradox situation he must not connect to reality at the moment though. Now, after these hours of painting, André is in the painting. He would not know it has been hours besides the constant glare of the illuminating digital clock staring from across the room; it unconsciously processes its recognition into André. The phone screams out, ‘br-ring, br-ring!’ Like the other external matter it creeps into André, until finally its screams become too annoying to ignore. It’s too late now…impulsive André has vanished; his conventional counterpart has replaced him. The phone persists though. André decides to take it (typical for his returned mannerism). He dives across the room horizontally attacking the corner where that nuisance phone lies. ‘Aw, aw, aw, aw!’ A tube of paint has squirt from underneath his stomach. Agonising that his material friend can be so painful at times (like any of his life long friends). He picks up the phone; only the tone. He has missed whatever, whoever it was. Once again, missing the boat… Now thought and all that comes with it has returned. Why now out of all times possible? There is only sadness, misery, all this escalated from these small miniscule misfortunes; all has turned to turmoil! What can one do, when feeling like crawling into a hole? His secret minor disorders such as his claustrophobia would prevent him from crawling into that hole, even if he had one. At the moment everything feels like one big hole. Not surprisingly André’s eyes begin doing the only thing they know to do in times of unrest; wander. It is impossible to ignore what is there; it has been there all along, yet has never been seen. It is beautiful! It is splendour! It is radiance!! It is interrupted by another scream of ‘br-ring br-ring’. André picks up the damn phone. Without contemplation he whispers, “Sir, madam, I’m very terribly busy, could you perhaps call back sometime?” A deep sophisticated voice replies, “Raymond Fonck, André. Listen, I need to know about the progress of the painting. How is it going; ready to sell on Friday?” Many emotions garner at the speed of light inside André allows these emotions to clash inside of him. The painting; it is beautiful, splendour, radiance! How could he give it away now, after an indescribable series of emotional contributions? It is something that has not been attempted before; yet it is new but the expression of old. It is everything, at the moment, hopefully containing more interpretive inoculations for the future. It is a subject, of just some time, yet it contains a collaboration of detail separated from time. It is…once again interrupted by screams, this time of another sort; the infuriating talking of man. “André. Are you there?” Feelings of great rebellion sweep André off his feet. He knows how he will revolutionize his life, because after all; this painting has revolutionized his thought already. “Mister Fonck. I am so sorry. Some things have come over me…a type of sickness…although I am sure you are not aware of this mad syndrome I am suffering due to it. Well to the point, I must say I will not be supplying you with your wanted artwork. Thank you for your understanding. Hopefully we can collaborate something in future.” André hangs the phone up without replies, without a stated understanding from the mister Fonck. Without even the knowledge of acceptance or approval from the mister Fonck…it does not matter. All that matters is this new painting, this contemporised vision. It is everything. Most importantly of all, it is…unleashed!
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............Through the glass and the eye, the beauty of the “VELVET Rose” i spoted and once again it was mine…....Enjoy my work…..!!!!..this is MACRO PHOTOGRAPHY TECH Info: Used Nikon D70 and Nikon Macro dedicated 200 mm lens / To EMAIL ME please do so at myart4u@earthlink.net WORK in this GALERY is COPYRIGHTED and solo owned by artist….DO NOT COPY …not for personal or comercial use…...Any reproduction, modification, publication, transmission, transfer, or exploitation of any of the Content, whether in whole or in part, without express written permission is prohibited. All rights reserved !!! / BUYERS if interested my work is available in 6,10 and 12 megapixels high resolution…..Make a request through REDBUBBLE it is available for immediate delivery after payment is received….
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To BETTER VIEW This Photo select VIEW LARGER option / .... To AD ME to your WATCHLIST click BAMBI Icon. A tulip is a flower with 5 petals, all intertwining, and without which, it would not make up a complete flower. If one petal is removed from the flower, it ceases, for all intents and purposes, to be complete….... / / Exodus 33:19 Then He said, “I will make all My goodness pass before you, and I will proclaim the name of the LORD before you. I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.” WORK in this GALERY is COPYRIGHTED and solo owned by artist….DO NOT COPY …not for personal or comercial use……Any reproduction, modification, publication, transmission, transfer, or exploitation of any of the Content, whether in whole or in part, without express written permission is prohibited. All rights reserved !!! / BUYERS if interested my work is available in 6,10 and 12 megapixels high resolution…..Make a request through REDBUBBLE it is available for immediate delivery after payment is received….
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6 Quick Tips For Selling Your Art On RedBubble
by Jo O'BrienKeep your portfolio short and sweet. Show only y…
Keep your portfolio short and sweet. Show only your absolute best work and ensure your portfolio can be flicked through in under a minute. People have really short attention spans Use tags. But only use relevant tags which describe key features of the work. Use your journal to give buyers a glimpse into your motivations, inspirations and learning. Don’t put anything negative in it (people can see it!) Remove negative or critiquing comments from under artworks- potential buyers can read them and you don’t want them to be put off Personalise your work by adding meaningful descriptions that tell your audience about how the work was created, what it was inspired by or the story behind it Think about and make a deliberate decision on how much to charge for your art
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Selling Art At Markets
by Jo O'BrienSelling Art At Markets Without repeating the points I made in my Selling Greeting Cards Through Stores...
Selling Art At Markets Without repeating the points I made in my Selling Greeting Cards Through Stores post, here are some of my pointers for selling artwork at markets. It’s going to be another long one so I’ll use headings and give you some pretty pictures to look at on the way :) / Pin-Up Strip Collection – Cards : Freedom by Helen McLean Know The Market You are Attending / Visit the market first! This step is often overlooked and yet it will help you a lot. Some markets can be described as ‘glorified garage sales’ (nothing wrong with that) and others are almost outdoor shopping centres with every convenience. Make a special trip with your stall in mind and ask yourself some questions: What is already being sold? How would you categorise the shoppers? How many people are buying things vs. having a look? How much do things cost there? Is there an entry fee for customers? Have a talk to the current stallholders who will give you the gossip on which spots are the best and how much you can charge for your stuff. Find out about how to get a stall/space. Some markets will ask you to pay an stallholder fee and rock up on the day, others will require a formal proposal in writing and an interview. So find out how to go about it and get advice from current stallholders. By the way, if you’re freaking out about approaching store holders for advice, get over it. Market folk are the nicest people and love a good yarn, just make sure you don’t keep them from their customers. Know Your Target Customer / In an ideal world you would look at your art and work out whom it is best targeted at. Then you would strive to get their attention by stocking your art in places that they go. In the market circuit, things are backwards. You find the market with its existing crowd of shoppers and find a way to sell them what you have. Or you could even make artwork especially to appeal to them. (This is known to some as “selling your soul” – I prefer to call it “paying my bills”) / Since you have visited the market, you have some idea of who goes there. Think about what they are likely to buy and aim to supply it. So take your lovely florals to the nursing home charity fair, your brightly coloured clown shots to the school fete and your super chic city shots to the tourist market. Always have some variety but you can often work out what will be popular before you pay for a heap of printing. / Matilda and Scarlet by Lisadee Displays Are Important / Displays are important. Displays are important. Displays are important. I can’t stress this enough! Most people who sell at markets will at some point learn (usually the hard way) how true that statement is. Think about it before you get there. How do you want it all to look- even if you are artistically challenged like me, draw a picture of how you are going to set everything up. Do you have any space restrictions you need to consider? Are you allowed to hang things? Put them on the floor? Allow people to walk around your allocated space? Are their any other restrictions such as number of displays or tables? All markets have their own (seemingly random) rules so find out before you spend money getting your display units. If you can, do a mock up at home first and see what it’s like from the customers’ side. Some pointers from me on this topic are: / 1) Make sure people can ‘try before they buy’ i.e. can they touch your products to see what the quality is like? / 2) Display things at an appropriate height. Putting your work on the ground degrades its value. If it’s a children’s item, keep it lower, if its wall décor hang it at eye height. / 3) Protect your stock from children, accidents and the weather Packaging / Just a brief note here that in addition to packaging you items to look great, in a market situation they have to withstand the weather. It is also a good idea to have shopping bags so that people can easily carry their purchases around with them. Charge the Right Amount / If you are at a busy tourist market, you can usually set higher prices. As a general rule, I charged 50% more than my ‘shop’ price at tourist markets. Yet at less commercially driven markets you may find the price point has to be a lot lower. You simply have to suss out what is reasonable before you get there by checking out other stalls. The other thing to be aware of is that a lot of market shoppers are out for a bargain. So be prepared for hagglers and decide before you get there how flexible, if at all, you are going to be. You can try and nip it in the bud by having special deals planned ahead of time. It’s also a good point to drop here that human psychology is a wonderful thing and in terms of prices and deals- something displayed in writing will be treated with more respect than information giving verbally. So use price tags and signs. / So Pedestrian by Melody Let People Give You Money / You’re thinking, “Jo, of course I’ll let them give me money- that’s why I’m sitting at this cold, wet market to start with.” But are you really? Are you really letting them give it to you? Do this little task right now, while you’re sitting there at the computer. Pull out your wallet or purse and count how much cash you have. Now think about how much lunch would cost you and deduct that amount, now deduct half a tank of petrol or train fare, which you used to get to this hypothetical market and see what is left. Do you have enough money there to buy heaps of fabulous art? Most people will say “no.” Some will be lucky to break even. What is my point? If you were your own customer, you wouldn’t be buying much- if anything. I can hear you saying “But if I was going to a market I’d get cash out first.” Maybe you would, but, and I mean this in the nicest way, most people will forget. So idiot-proof yourself as much as possible. This might mean knowing where the nearest ATM is to direct people, it might mean having credit card facilities, it might mean having business cards with your online store URL for customers without cash. It seems ridiculous but I have encountered so many customers at markets that simply don’t have cash and therefore can’t buy anything. So have a way around it. / Jo’s little tip: bring a calculator with you. Like They Say in The Scouts: Be Prepared / Make a list of what you need to bring and check it twice. It’s laughable but I’ve seen stallholders forget their trestle table, which is basically the most important part of their stall. So don’t think it won’t happen to you. I know it sounds pessimistic but it’s important to think about what can go wrong. At markets the most common problems are… / 1) The toilet paper runs out in the one and only unisex toilet which is a 5 minute hike across town / 2) You run out of change to give customers- and then you realised none of the stall holders have enough change so you can’t even beg for it, and because it’s a Sunday you can’t get any from the bank… / 3) You are bored stupid waiting for people to start arriving / 4) The weather lets you down. We often prepare for rain but the real killer is the wind and in summer intense sun / 5) You can’t find anything decent to eat for lunch / 6) You need to go to the toilet or eat something but because your ‘help’ is late or didn’t make it, you are literally tied to your stall all day, and the stallholder beside you is too busy to keep an eye on it for you, and you wouldn’t trust them anyway. / 7) You forgot your big warm coat on a freezing cold day or your sunnies on a really bright day. / 8) People keep shoplifting your stuff or even steal your money tin/bag (much more common at markets than in shopping centres with video surveillance) So ask yourself how you will prepare for some of these situations and have a plan. Bring extras of everything and generally don’t feel bad when you can’t even move in your car because of all the stuff you’ve piled in there. When I was doing markets, I prayed for the day I could afford a van. Logistics / Think about all the stuff you need to take and work out how you are going to get it there, set it up and keep it supervised. Can you park your car behind your stall or do you have to move it? Are there strict set up and pack up times you need to consider? If you need to park away from the stall, can you do it securely and do you need to pay for parking? Can your stall be covered if you need to leave it unattended for a bathroom run or are you happy to ask a fellow stallholder to keep an eye on it? And this is a big one guys- What are you going to do with your rubbish at the end of the day? Expect to take it home because the public bins will be overflowing by lunchtime and littering is just not on. / CLOWNS by Mugsy Budgeting / It’s really the first thing you need to do but it scares people so I thought I’d hide it down here at the bottom. When you set up a market stall, you are essentially running your own business and like all small businesses, money, is important. You need to think about what it’s all going to cost you and decide if you are going to make a profit. Let me keep this very simple, the three things you need to think about are… / 1) Things that you buy once to get set up / 2) Things that will keep costing you money as you go / 3) Things that make you money I could write about making budgets all day but I’m trying to keep this post relevant to art. Basically, you want to make enough time to pay yourself back for any major set ups costs like buying new display stands, as well as any ongoing costs, and on top of that you want to make a profit. And please don’t forget to factor in your time. Decide if you are worth $20 per hour or $10 and hour or whatever and include “paying yourself” in your calculations. Keep Financial Records / Another scary one but important one. Keep a list of what stock you bring with you and what you sell. That way when you get home you can determine if anything was stolen or if any money went missing or the wrong change was given. It’s also good to keep a more general record of how much money you are making and what you are spending for each market so that you can see if your business is growing or struggling. It will also show you patterns; for example, an outdoor market would most likely have a quiet period during colder months. I will have to create a separate post about budgeting and financial records because they are both huge areas and very important. For now, my best advice is to get some advice! Oh the irony! I hope that is useful to a few people. And if I made it sound like hard work, well it is. But it’s also good fun. / Nurses by Samantha Thompson
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Photographers - What are you paying for? (Part One)
by Jo O'Brien^Disclaimer: This is not legal advice or even professional advice. This is some stuff I’ve learned along this funny little thing called l…
Disclaimer: This is not legal advice or even professional advice. This is some stuff I’ve learned along this funny little thing called life and may not apply in any way to your current situation. At worst, it’s my opinion, at best it’s some ideas for you to think about. If you need real proper advice, go see your solicitor. I’m of the opinion that photography should make me money, not cost me money. So far, I have been successful is making more from a photograph than it took me to create. Here is my list of not so secret tips and advice on covering your arse and saving your cash. When To Pay There are times where spending your hard earned money is the right choice. For example to obtain goods or services you can not find for less (or free) elsewhere. Or when you have done all the maths yourself and you feel you are buying into a good deal. But there are also some pit falls to watch out for. Art Direction, Ideas and Intellectual Property My rule of thumb, if I am paying to shoot, I should have full rights to everything I take. No ifs buts or maybes about it. If you shoot a commercial, the art direction team put together a shoot and then hire a photographer to take photos of what they and the crew have created. They pay for lighting design, they pay the models, they pay the hair stylist, they pay the guy who makes the coffees- and they pay the photographer. Some businesses operate under a similar model but suck money out of photographers in the process. As part of a ‘workshop’ or ‘event’, several photographers rock up with their cameras and take photos of a scene. Often they have little or no control of the setup, can’t communicate properly with the models and will walk out of it with similar images to everyone else who attended! In the worst cases they have restricted rights regarding how they use their images. So is essence, they have paid for something that out in the real world, would be making them money. Sorry if it sounds confusing, the concept completely baffles me. When you are shooting someone else’s ideas and have restricted publishing rights or have little influence over the set up, posing, lighting or set design, (in my opinion) you should be getting paid by them. After all, you are doing them a favor by taking images of their creative work. Classes or Tuition Wanting to improve you skills and knowledge is a great thing. And there are numerous classes, mentors and workshops available for you to choose from. If you are going to pay to attend these, make sure you are getting what you pay for. Before you hand over any cash there are a few details that you should have to help make your decision. Class Size: The more people attending, the cheaper the class should be. If there is a practical component, I usually wont accept a class bigger than 10-12 / Location & Time: no point signing up for an ‘on location’ workshop only to find it is out of your way. Also as a safety issue, you should always be able to tell a trusted person exactly where and when you will be shooting. / The Teacher: You should be able to find and contact the person facilitating the class to verify their experience and ask questions. It not always convenient for a facilitator to take calls from a whole class, but you should be able to send them an email and get a reply without going through a middle man. / Contracts: Ask if you will need to sign any contracts and insist upon receiving them before paying. / What do you get: do you get class notes to take home? Exactly what does the course entail? What can you hope to know and have learned at the end of the course? Contracts These are a great way to waste your money. They also happen to be very important. First and foremost contracts exists to make people money or stop people from making money. So before signing anything, read it a few times and make sure you are aware of what your actions are costing you. If you need to get images approved before sale or publication, you could be agreeing to never publishing or selling any images taken if none are ‘approved.’ It is completely reasonable to request changes to a contract or write your own and offer it instead. Don’t sign away potential income! You should always be able to take a contract away and show it to other people for advice before signing it, and especially before paying for anything. If you are not given this opportunity, my advice is to avoid it with a ten foot pole. And then there are the bazillion poorly written contracts that mean very little or nothing at all. It’s actually quite funny to me sometimes, what people will put on paper. Useful Links Australian Competition & Consumer Commission / Scam Watch Photographers – What are you paying for (part 2).
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Selling Art Through Galleries- My Advice
by Jo O'BrienI recently received an email from a fellow RedBubbler and thought I should share my response… DISCLAIMER: this is just my opinion an…
I recently received an email from a fellow RedBubbler and thought I should share my response… DISCLAIMER: this is just my opinion and advice so don’t take my word as gospel! ____________ Hi Jo, I ‘discovered ’ you on Red Bubble and love your work.. You mentioned you work for a gallery that takes work on consignment. I’m interested in getting some of my work into galleries but don’t know how to. My stuff is here… http://www.redbubble.com/URL So just wondering if you have some advice?? Cheers & thanks, ____________ Hey M First thing is you will notice that the footer of this email has all my phone numbers- please do not hesitate to call me and we can have a proper conversation about this. I have a lot of artists ask me about this and am only happy to help out. I have found that the best way to get your stuff into galleries is to do what you have just done- send an email with a link to your work. Your webiste is basically your CV in the art world – it doesn’t have to be flashy (and redbubble is totally appropriate) but having work that loads quickly is important. You will be lucky if a gallery spends more than 1-2 minutes looking at your site. The other thing you can do is to print out samples of 5-8 images of your work, a biography or artist’s statement and any quirky info that could be used to market you. Put this together into a CV or folio and make several copies. Then you do the door knock thing. If you take this option be aware of a few things- Gallery staff at some places (certainly not us though) can be quite snobby to artists who come off the street and try to sell their wares. I suggest being pleasant but do not try to take up too much of their time. I’m more receptive to a “here’s a copy of my folio, here’s my contact details, i’d love to have a chat some time but obviously now isn’t the best time for you- maybe give me a call if you’re interested?” than a lengthy rehearsed sales pitch. Each gallery will have a slightly different way of doing things. Some will ask for a tax invoice when you bring in art and they will just pay you when it sells. Other will ask for an invoice only once something has sold and they may or may not request a consignment note when you deliver your art. Other places do 90% of the paperwork for you but these are rare. We keep a running file of what work you bring in and if anything gets returned to you because it wasn’t selling. Then if something sells we call or email you the same While I’m on this I should mention that some galleries will not deal with you unless you have an ABN. GST normally doesn’t make a difference but I have heard of a couple of fussy places who have insisted on dealing with GST inclusive artists only- go figure? The other thing that changes between galleries is the mark up of your work. In some of the artist run galleries you can get a 30/70 split of the sale (with the artist being better off). Other places will rip you off majorly and mark up your work by more than 100% and therefore will get more money than you do when it sells. Don’t let people bargain with you for your cut and THEN try to add 10% on for GST- insist on bargaining on the final price inclusive of GST. I make this bargaining process sound difficult but the truth is most places have a policy about how they split things and you either take it or leave it- my advice is more to show you the difference between money grabbing and artist appreciating! Which brings me to my next point- look at the attitude of the gallery. Some places are really picky about what you give them to sell which can mean that they either have no idea OR it could mean that they know their clientelle really well. You just have to be good at reading people to wrok that one out. The places that I would steer clear of are the ones who don’t seem to fussed by what you give them or don’t really care about having a biography or any information about you. They should be interested is selling ‘you’ as a product as well as your stuff. You have to balance out the financial side of things with the personal side. At our galleries we go 50/50 on sales which is considered a bit high. The upside however is that you get a mini cheering squad who will rave about your amazing talents to anyone who glances at your work sideways. We don’t have artists complaining about the higher mark up because we make up for it in branding and promotion you. This is a call each artist has to make for themself. If you’re stuff is considered sellable (which is decided on a case by case basis) we will give it a decent chance of selling- normally I put new stuff on display straight away or in the shop window. Then we see hwat the reaction is. Sometimes we find out very quickly that there is no interest, or everyone loves the image but thinks it is too small, or red, or badly framed or whatever. We aim to have open lines of communcation with our artists so that they don’t keep sending us stuff that no one wants! But in the end if after 4-6 weeks things are not going so well I send things back and invite the artist to try again if they begin experiementing with a different syle or medium. I certainly invite you and any other RedBubble artists to contact me about selling work through our galleries. We are always very keen to see what people have got to offer. Jo O’Brien Work: +61 3 9349 4333 (Sunday, Wednesday, Thursday) Work: +61 3 9827 3338 (Monday)
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Selling Photography
by Jo O'BrienThis is based on my experience working at markets and in “painting and sculpture” galleries. I have heard of exclusively photographic gal…
This is based on my experience working at markets and in “painting and sculpture” galleries. I have heard of exclusively photographic galleries (collaborative- not just for a single photographer) which are an easier market but I am yet to find one in Melbourne. DISCLAIMER: The opinions presented in this journal are not a substitute for professional advice and are based on analogical evidence Things that I have found help to sell photography are: / 1) Taking a strikingly lucky, creative and one off image that others would struggle to replicate / 2) Presenting your photos in an original way / 3) Providing support material to the seller about the image and yourself / 4) Signing the image and providing info on the back / 5) Having a variety of photos available for sale / 6) Only having one copy of each image on display Things I have found detract from selling photography / 1) Inferior or unsuitable framing or packaging / 2) You are selling a whole bunch of your images and most of them look similar- or more so, look like you took them all on the same day / 3) No information about the image is available / 4) No image about the photographer is available / 5) I hate to say it but photographers with birthdates in the 1980s should consider omitting this information from their biography because youth = inexperience in the minds of some buyers. The exception seems to be works using a lot of photomanipulation. / 6) Damaged prints or packaging / 7) And it might have seemed the most obvious point but images that are not interesting, or that do not fufil a decorative need There are many ways of presentaion your images including: / 1) Loose prints or posters / 2) Matted prints (and whether to sign the image or the mat) / 3) Canvas Prints / 4) Framed Prints / 5) Putting your images on other products (tastefully) Generally speaking, bad presentation will doom the sale of even the most amazing photograph and that the more creative and unusual your presentation, the more attention you and your work will recieve. Who has some other tips?
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a FEELGOODfx design
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Photo Shoot
by Vonnie MurfinI am going to be taking pictures of flowers in an open field tomorrow. I was told there are all kinds of flowers. Any advice?
I am going to be taking pictures of flowers in an open field tomorrow. I was told there are all kinds of flowers. Any advice?
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Photographers - What are you paying for? (Part 2)
by Jo O'BrienBe open minded about your camera gear You can make a tripod for only a few dollars...
Be open minded about your camera gear You can make a tripod for only a few dollars, tracing paper makes a great diffuser and a trip to a hardware store will give you very bright lights. Yes, there are downsides, and for the technically perfect photographer, these suggestions will be a very funny joke. The point here is keep and open mind and try new things before forking out $100 for a piece of shiny material that resembles a $5 dash board cover. Unless you use a biscuit tin to take photos, eventually you will want to buy a new camera. Shop around, get advice, try out a friend’s and when you walk into the shop, don’t spend hundreds of dollars on accessories that you wont’ use. It doesn’t hurt to haggle a bit either. When the salesman tries to close the deal, my typical response is “what else are you throwing in?” Studio Hire So the first question you ask yourself is “Do I know anyone who already has a studio set up?” If the answer is yes. Skip the rest of this section, suck up your pride and ask them if you can visit and have a play. The rest of you, ask yourself what you are paying for. Is it the chance to get a professionally lit shot? Maybe you could try a lighting course that will not only give you many opportunities to work with professional lights, but will teach you the theory and science of lighting. Often these courses are much cheaper than a similar amount of time in a rented studio. Do you want to try shooting in more controlled conditions? Try clearing out a room of your house and setting up a few scenes. The results may not be brilliant but it will give you a sense of how much time you can spend setting a shot up before you get to click the button. If you are certain that a proper studio is for you, consider hiring it out through a camera club for a discounted rate, or hiring it out with a couple of other photographers to minimise your expense. Models and TFP Models and photographers have one thing in common – they both need a portfolio of photos to proceed in their career. This is why Time For Photo shoots have become so popular. But before you jump up and down about using a free model take a second think about what is fair and ethical. At the end of the day, both you and the model should be happy with your arrangement. If someone feels short changed, you should consider modifying your approach. This is my rule of thumb. If a model approaches me to take shots for her portfolio, and I am working to her brief, she should pay me. If we have put our heads together to come up with a project and proceed on equal footing where we both use the images, then neither should pay. And if I conceive and art direct the shoot and have priority over the image rights, I should pay the model. Basically whoever comes out on top should be paying the person who is doing them a favor. Then there are test shoots, these are almost always done on a time for photos basis. These shoots are a bit like ‘warm up’ shoots for the model and photographer to see if they want to work together properly. They are also a chance to test new ideas or equipment. Often the images taken in test shoots are less than great, and if they do turn out, they are most commonly shared equally between all parties. If you are requesting a model release form because you intend to profit from the images, in my opinion, the model should be paid or you should have an arrangement to split any profits. My plan of attack is to put out a call for models. Then I will do a test shoot with the model who has contacted me and we either have equal rights to the shots or split them down the middle. If the test shoot goes well we may arrange to work together again. This might mean doing an even split of “her ideas” and “my ideas” for no payment, or it may be paid work if I am contracted to produce shots for a commercial job. Photographers – What are you paying for? (Part One).
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Mac vs Pc - HELP!!!
by Nicole GogginsI am about to buy a new laptop, as my current one is driving me nuts (far too slow), EVERYONE is telling me to buy a Mac, but no-one is …
I am about to buy a new laptop, as my current one is driving me nuts (far too slow), EVERYONE is telling me to buy a Mac, but no-one is telling me exactly why! My husband (who knows nothing about mac’s) can’t justify the difference in cost and is telling me I should just get the Acer Aspire Gemstone Blue (I must admit I am drawn to the pretty blue lights) http://www.acer.com/gemstoneblue/eng/ , but friends who are ‘into’ photography tell me to get the Apple MacBook Pro (which looks so cool) http://www.apple.com/macbookpro/features.html … I figured what better people to ask than a bunch of v. talented, creative people who use computers and take photos… I don’t know v. much at all when it comes to computers so any advice would be great! All I want it for is photoshop cs3 and playing on the net (can’t live without redbubble). I will have to do some work (after all this is the reason I am asking for a new computer), for my husband at his office where they use window based software. So as far as I can understand I can load windows on the mac and will then be able to use it at my husband office without any trouble??? Can someone, anyone please tell me which I should buy and why – also v. open to any other suggestions…
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Gimp, fonts, T-shirts - finally, we all seem happy together.
by Gregoryno6I posted a piece on how to do t-shirts a while ago. I deleted it when I realised that a lot of my ideas were wrong, but I think that I ca…
I posted a piece on how to do t-shirts a while ago. I deleted it when I realised that a lot of my ideas were wrong, but I think that I can offer some useful advice this time. The template posted here at RB is what I’m using now. If you haven’t worked with it before the simple way to eliminate the white rectangle and red lines is to click on Select – top left – then All, then go to Edit and Cut. That wipes everything off. I have saved the template in that fashion now. I had a lot of trouble with fonts. Everywhere I looked on the net I found instructions on how fonts could be added to the Gimp menu and I couldn’t make any of them work. My final solution was: a – make sure every font I wanted was loaded into my Windows font folder; / b – uninstall Gimp and the GTK Runtime Environment which it requires; / c – reload the latest versions of each, available here. Maybe I just got lucky, but it worked. All fonts now available. I had created another problem for myself by creating my own template, but this wasn’t an issue until recently when RB changed the production method for the T’s. Effectively I had put all my messages on a white background rather than a clear background. / I found the answer on this page, which gives instructions on how to make any colour transparent in Gimp. If you’re starting from scratch in Gimp and want to do a text T, it’s very simple (he said, having banged his head long and hard over this problem). Once you have the template open and prepared as I described earlier, click the bold T (for Text) on the control panel. This will open a box which will show options like fonts, colour – click on each to display the full range – size of text, and alignment. Click on the point of the template where you want the words to appear. This will open a small window – as you type, the words will appear here and also on the template. The template display will create a yellow boundary around your words. I find it easiest to start in the top left corner and then move the text to where I want it by clicking on the four-arrow icon. This should turn your yellow boundary to white, and the text will move as you desire. Hope this helps. PS: I’ve just used the colour to clear technique to create a negative version of my Amaze T shirt, Amaze T2. ADDENDUM: I posted this piece, Programs I Use, in the forums some time ago. I’ll link to it here for your further consideration.
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How To Organise a Meet Up
by Jo O'BrienMeeting complete and utter strangers off the intern…
Meeting complete and utter strangers off the internet is not easy, even for the most social butterflies, and even if you feel like you know them pretty well from online. The first time I did it, I was meeting 20 bubblers at some pub I’d never been to, and I was supposedly the organsier- I was a nervous wreck! So think about how best to comfort people and make them realise that not everyone on the internet is a scary monster… - meet in a public place where there are passers by / - consider a daytime meet / - ensure any activities include people / - invite attendees to bring a friend or partner along for moral support / - be clear about how to identify each other at the meet up point / - have a way for attendees to contact you/someone on the day / - touch base with attendees prior to the day so they know you really do exist and that it will be going ahead. Inviting People / Well I can tell you how not to invite people- with a vague open ended forum post like “anyone in suchandsuchatown want to meet up one weekend?” This results in three pages of umming and arring and trying to work out details. What you need to do is give it some thought and present a cohesive idea along with the message that you are flexible to other people’s ideas. / Here is an example of how I first suggested a group of us drive 3 hours out of melbourne for a night in Lorne. I suggest having the following details in your invitation post: - A date and time to meet / - A specific meet up location (somewhere well known is best) / - A suggested activity for the day/evening / - How you will identify each other / - How you will contact attendees should there be a change of plans / - How attendees should contact you/someone else should they be late etc. / - Advise people on what they should bring- lunch money, camera etc. Once you have written and posted your invitation in all the right places, (such as a relevant group) people will start to respond. Some will jump in with a big YES!, others will express disappointment at living at the other side of the world, others will ask you to change the date, some will ask you to change other details. When negotiating details, remember that more changes, the more confusing it gets. So don’t feel like you need to bend to every person who can’t make a certain date, or whatever. Some people will miss out – they can come to the next one! A few days before Let attendees know that it is in fact going ahead, confirm the details and get yourself orgainsed. If you have promised them red balloons to mark the meet up point- buy them. If you need to wash your picnic rug, do it. Just trust me on this. You will be nervous on the day itself and are more likely to forget things. Some of my suggestions for the day before are: - charge you camera batteries / - print off a list of people who are coming and any mobile numbers you have for them / - double check any reservations you have and confirm numbers / - Charge your mobile phone and ensure you have enough credit to make several calls / - If you are doing the popular red balloon thing, bring string to tie them to something / - Pack a map, even if you know the area well. It makes giving directions to others easier. / - If there is a reservation, make sure attendees know what name it is under Once you are all packed, leave everything you are taking at the front door or in a pile somewhere like that. On the Day This is the bit where people call you to cancel, rock up late, get lost, and never arrive for reasons you will never find out. - Have your mobile phone on Loud. Boy I have learned this the hard way several times over! / - Be the first person to the meetup point / - Decide how long you are prepared to hang around waiting for latecomers / - Watch out for people arriving / - Introduce yourself with a smile and if your real name is different to your username, introduce yourself with both names. / - Introduce people to each other as they arrive Then you all go off and have a bunch of fun!!! The rest takes care of itself, trust me :) Oh yeah, almost forget… the absolute most important bit of all / post all the photos in a journal post on redbubble so we can all see :)
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Please, someone draw the line for me
by Jo O'BrienI’m yet again back on on here looking for some answers after being asked to remove stuff again. I just can’t seem to get it right. Please…
I’m yet again back on on here looking for some answers after being asked to remove stuff again. I just can’t seem to get it right. Please don’t get me wrong- I don’t want to offend anyone but I’m actually finding it quite difficult to get the right balance. In the past I’ve put up work I think is tasteful or subtle or that has a lot of artistic merit and been suggested to remove it. I put up stuff today that this very afternoon was viewed and commented on by primary school children with their mother present and yet I post it on here and got emails from two people about it’s appropriateness. I’m at the point where if I get one inappropriate comment from someone I freak out that I shouldn’t have posted it. HEEELLLP! I guess what I’m finding so upsetting is that I seem to be unable to predict what is going to upset people. If that is the case, I need some sort of guidelines to work against. I’m also probably extra sensitive about taking stuff down- I’ve never been ‘told to’ but if someone says that it’s concerning them, of course I remove it straight away. I don’t think I’ve ever posted anything “disturbing” and certainly nothing violent. And as I said before, artwork that a mother happily showed her primary aged school children this afternoon caused a problem when I posted them this evening. I just can’t win. It’s really upsetting. I’m basically not going to upload any more work with a person in it until there is some sort of decision about this. I’m not prepared to keep risking it. Can anyone offer some solid suggestions on what you would consider “too much” for a public site because this is starting to get too hard for me. I’m probably coming across as irrational or melodramatic but it’s starting to really upset me that I keep upsetting other people. That’s the last thing I want to do.
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Taken Canon Rebel Xt / Pro9
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For some, an unnecessary exhortation.
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Simple advice.
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This photo of an industrious little wren gathering nest building materials seemed to go well with the verse from Proverbs: Entrust your works to the Lord, and your plans will succeed.
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20 Tips for the New/Casual Photographer
by Dana DiPasqualeI wrote this with my father in mind. He is a great artist when working with wood and can sometimes take a…
I wrote this with my father in mind. He is a great artist when working with wood and can sometimes take a good photograph, but he always wants me to take pictures of things I know won’t turn out well. He drove with me across country from San Diego to Chicago, and while going through all the mountain ranges (which is a couple days worth of nothing but dust), he kept saying “Hey, Dane – get a shot of that” referring to every pile of dirt possible. I had reached my limit of saying “No more dirt” when a trooper pulled him over for speeding. As the cop walked up to the car, I said “Want me to get a shot of that?” He got the giggles and explained it to the trooper who not only agreed to pose for a photo, but ran to his car to get his official hat, stood side by side with my dad, handed him the warning notice like a diploma and shook his hand. Tip 1. The more the better. For every photograph you think you have taken perfectly, even after looking at it in your LED display, take 20 more at the same and different angles. You really never know the quality of the image until you can see it on a larger computer screen or printed. Better to have too many good shots when you get home than none. / / Vintage Series by Dana DiPasquale Tip 2. Bring your camera everywhere. Start thinking of it like your cell phone and carry it with you wherever you can. You never know when something seemingly simple will strike you as a possible photograph. Start looking at everything in your life as having potential to be something. A walk to the grocery store, that old dilapidated building you pass by everyday, and your parking space could produce new things you never noticed before. / / P4 by Dana DiPasquale Tip 3. Try not to center your subject. Consider the basic compositional rule known as the “rule of thirds”. Use an imaginary grid to divide your frame into 9 blocks, three across and three down. Objects should sit on one of the intersection points like the end of the pier in the photograph below. / / End of the Day by Debbie Black Tip 4. Occasionally center your subject. If you are taking an image where perspective is important, such as down a long hallway, place the opening at the end of the tunnel in the middle of your frame. This will give each wall equal weight and importance. / / The Journey II by Melanie McQuoid Tip 5. Try not to center your horizons. Again, using the rule of thirds, horizons should fall along one of the grid lines. / / The Old Milk Shed by Adriana Glackin Tip 6. Occasionally center your horizons. The exception to the rule of thirds is when you are photographing a scene and its reflection in water. To give equal importance and demonstrate the symmetry of the scene, a centered horizon is preferable in this scenario. / / Water Lily by Tamara Mason Tip 7. Straighten your lines. Make sure your horizons are perfectly straight. Any image with strong lines in it should have all lines perfectly horizontal or perfectly vertical. Otherwise, it is like having a picture hanging on your wall that you want to keep straightening. Although it is always best to straighten these things when you are taking the photo, many graphic editing programs have tools which can help you adjust any skewed lines. / / Unhinged #2 by Faith Hunter Tip 8. Extreme diagonals. If you have a situation where you cannot straighten the lines (maybe the wood is warped and not joining at a precise 90 degree angle or you have no choice but to stand at an odd angle from your subject), try for a very dramatic angle instead. / / Above Series 6.0 by Dana DiPasquale Tip 9. Working with shadows and light. If you are using a point and shoot camera it will be very difficult to work with extreme differences in light. Your camera will likely have a hard time judging the proper exposure required so that the details in the dark area can be seen as clearly as the details in the light area. It is best to use manual settings, like in the photo below, or avoid these lighting conditions if possible. This is why early morning and late day light is better than mid-day. / / Abstract Orange by lallymac Tip 10. Notice your surroundings. Try to keep your backgrounds clean and simple so that your subject stands out as the focus. If you are taking a photo of a specific tree and there are tons of like colored leaves in your background it is unlikely your tree will stand out and have much impact. Another alternative is to make sure there is a big contrast in shade between your subject and background. A light colored subject will stand out against a dark background and vice-versa. / / Retired by Miron Abramovici Tip 11. Colors and contrast. Remember that your camera will never be able to see exactly what you see. This is both because a camera lens is not the same as your eye and because we interpret the image and its meaning in our brain, which can affect how we see the image. Don’t be afraid to use a graphic editing program to increase the contrast and/or color saturation a bit – just don’t go overboard or it may look like a cartoon. / / Harmony by Leah Highland Tip 12. A different point of view. Most casual photographers fall into the rut of taking images that are common or expected. Try looking at things from a new angle. See what the same object looks like when you are laying on the floor or up on a ladder, an unexpected point of view. This can make photographs of common things more interesting and make the viewer ask ‘Why didn’t I think of that?’ / / Waiting to Say Goodbye by Dana DiPasquale Tip 13. Sunsets, cats and flowers. These are probably the most common images taken by the casual photographer. While some may be beautiful, most may only be special to you. As these items are so common, you must really have the patience to wait for it to be such an incredibly unique shot that it will blow others away. For example, wait on that sunset photo until you have an interesting sky just like just before a storm. Take that photo of a flower to show off something different and unique about it – maybe its structure instead of the more common shot of its colors. / / Favored by Nikki Trexel Tip 14. A range of tones. The best black and white images (or sepia/duotone) are those that have a range of tones – and by that I mean dark blacks to bright whites and everything in between. If you image does not have this then I would suggest keeping it in color or it may look flat. Tip 15. Color vs black and white. Color images are likely to show off vibrancy whereas black and white images are likely to emphasize shapes, structures, and specific subjects. Monochrome images can also convey emotion and mood. If trying to create a somber mood, try sepia. / / The Last Goodbye by myoriginalsin Tip 16. Chopping off parts. Be careful when composing your image to not create a situation where it appears you have cut off someone’s legs or ear. The same goes for objects. This does not mean the entire object or subject needs to be photographed but don’t leave off little odds and ends if you are photographing a majority of it. It is always better to take the picture zoomed out and crop it later to your liking than to go home and be stuck with a missing body part. Tip 17. Cramped subjects and negative space. The space around your subject is considered negative space. Where you place your subject in the frame will affect the negative space and the appearance of how cramped your subject may appear. Try not to have the subject take up 95% of the frame and only have 5% negative space. This will make the subject appear stuffed into a tight box. Also try to have an equal amount of negative space on at least 2 sides of the subject. For example, if your subject is in the top right of the frame, the distance from the subject to the top and the distance from the subject to the right edge of the frame should be equidistant. If you have followed the rules of thirds and place the image at the intersection point, this will occur naturally. / / Strength by Caroline Gorka Tip 18. To Flash or Not to Flash. In general, a flash on most point and shoot cameras may be too harsh and wash out your scene. If you cannot switch to manual modes or use external lighting sources, you can try diffusing the light from the flash by wrapping it with tissue or parchment paper. This will help reduce harsh shadows and bright spots caused by the flash. Most images which appear as thoughtless snapshots instead of a work of art are the result of poor lighting conditions. / / Finding Wild Flowers by Jennifer Woodward Tip 19. Positioning of portraits. Portraits taken straight on with the subject looking into the camera appear documentary. When the subject is looking away, they can appear more candid and omnipotent. If you take a photograph looking up at someone, he or she will appear dominating or powerful. If taken looking down on someone, the subject appears vulnerable. / / Another World by Mark German / / reflections.2 by Jan Cain Tip 20. Be adventurous. No, you don’t have to climb Mount Everest to get an interesting photograph, and you don’t have to be on vacation and take the usual scenic images. Try looking at everyday objects in new ways: the lines of a set of stairs in the Bahamas, a desolate road on your way to work, a simple rock in a Hawaiian stream, a fork in your kitchen drawer, a single tree branch in a national forest, the tattered shoelaces of a little boy, a single window of a 117 foot lighthouse. / / Tines by Dana DiPasquale / / Double Vision by Tom Vaughan / / The View by Dana DiPasquale
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Copyrights Tabitha Borges 2007 / http://i71.photobucket.com/albums/i124/rose2823/445586-1-wishing.jpg
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